(BEING EDITED) When Night Falls - Will Byers

CHAPTER SEVEN - New Scars

August, 1983

THIRD PERSON POV

HOPPER'S CABIN, HAWKINS INDIANA

They were currently inside Hopper's cabin, while El and Felix tried to locate the source. Everyone waited around.

"Can you guys settle an argument for us?" Max asked as she and Mike walked over to the rest of the group. "Who do you think should decide El's limits. Mike, or Eleven?"

"The way that you frame that is such bullshit!"

"It's not bullshit, Mike! This is your whole problem, and it's also precisely the reason why she dumped your ass."

Nancy's eyes went wide. "El dumped you?!"

"Yeah, because she's conspiring against me. She's corrupting her!"

Max corrected him. "No, enlightening her. The fact is, she's not yours, she her own person, fully capable of making her own decisions."

"Yeah, but she's risking her life for no reason!" Mike sighed. "This shows how careless you're being with her powers. Even Felix's! You're treating her like some kind of machine, when she's not a machine, so can we please just come up with a new plan, because I love her and I can't lose her again!" Everyone stared at Mike. 

"What is happening, we're trying to help you, and you're being loud." Felix appeared behind, his nose dripping with blood.

"Just family discussions." Lucas smiled at El and Felix.

Felix nodded. "Well, we found nothing. But, we came up with a new plan. I'm going to look for Billy. El needs a break, she hasn't practiced enough with her powers yet, and she's drained."

Will spoke up. "But... what if he hurts you?"

Felix looked at Will. "He can't hurt me. Not in there." Felix grabbed his blindfold, and sat down in front of the couch, everyone else sitting around him. "No more arguing, I need to find him." 

Will sat next to him on his left, and El joined him on the right. "We're here if you need us." Felix entered the void. He saw Billy sitting on his bed, staring at nothing.

"Well, I've found Billy." Felix announced to the group.

"What is he doing?" Max asked.

Felix sighed. "Nothing... just sitting there."

"That's weird... especially on the Fourth of July." Felix stepped towards Billy.

"Billy... I want to see what happened." Felix extended his hand towards him. Billy grabbed his wrist. Felix frantically pulled his hand away, and fell backwards, landing on a beach.

"I'm on a beach. It seems to be a memory." Felix told the group. El dabbed a tissue under his nose to remove the blood. 

Mike thought for a moment. "There aren't any beaches in Hawkins..."

"It's California." Max confirmed. 

Felix walked, seeing a young boy going surfing. His mom was watching. Suddenly, the scene changing. There was the boy, who was identified as Billy, fighting with his father. He was protecting his mom. Felix then saw a red storm, and the logo for 'Brimborn Steelworks.'

"I've found the source. Brimborn Steelworks." Felix confirmed. He took off his blindfold. His friends were gone. He was alone in the cabin. 

"Hello?" His voice echoed.

"They can't hear you..." Billy appeared. "You shouldn't have looked for me."

Felix swallowed. "Billy."

"You can't stop us anymore," Billy kept walking towards him. "We have been looking for you. First, we will start by ending your family. And then, we will end your friends. And when they are gone, we will end you. Then... We will end... Everyone."

"Go away." Felix glared.

Billy let a tear fall. "We will find you."

"I said... go away!" He shoved his hand in front of him, shooting Billy away. He woke up, breathing heavily. His friends were there, and El and Will hugged him.

"Are you okay?" El stroked his arm.

Felix nodded, catching his breath. "Yes. We need to make this place as secure as possible. The Mind Flayer is coming."

~~~

The cabin was secure, and everyone stood at the ready, with a weapon. 

Suddenly, one of the arms of the Mind Flayer shot through the cabin wall. Eleven stopped it, and then stopped the second one when it burst through. She tore the arms, when another one came through, grabbing Felix's right arm. He screamed. There was a lot of swearing, and yelling. 

Felix was able to use his powers to remove it, and he fell to the ground. He ripped the claw out of his arm, letting out another scream. Will appeared at his side, rubbing his back. Eleven was next. She was lifted by her leg. Jonathan used the axe to chop at the arm. When she got free, she ripped the head of the Mind Flayer, and fell. Mike ripped the claw from her leg.

~~~

Felix began cleaning his arm in one isle of the store. Will sat idly beside him, making sure he was fine. 

"You're gonna have a pretty cool scar." Will tried to lighten the mood.

Felix nodded. "Another scar without a good memory. I guess your right though." He sharply inhaled as he pour the peroxide on the cut. He dabbed it with a piece of gauze, and wrapped it.

"You're so brave. I admire that." Will smiled.

Felix looked over. "You're pretty brave yourself too, you know that, Byers? Surviving the Upside Down, and all that."

Will felt heat rise to his cheeks. "I guess... but you've been through so much. I can't believe how well you're handling it all."

They were interrupted by Mike. "We've gotten an alert from Dustin. El's about to find him. Come on!"

Felix pinched the bridge of his nose as Mike and Lucas argued about New Coke.

"Hey!" El scolded the boys.

"Sorry..." They mumbled. They had found out that Dustin was at the movies, so they headed to Starcourt. Lucas, of course, brought his fireworks, that would most likely come in handy. When they got there, they saw some Russian guys with guns. 

"Hey, assholes, what do you think you're doing? Going after my brother and his friends!" Felix yelled in Russian. Then, he made the display car move, and crash into the guys. They ran down to meet Dustin, Erica, Steve, and another girl who probably worked with Steve at Scoops Ahoy.

Dustin hugged Felix. "I was worried, where were you?!"

"Long story." Dustin nodded, and Felix accepted his answer. 

Everyone was caught up on what had happened. Suddenly, El fell down, screaming. 

"My leg, my leg!" Mike unwrapped it, and saw something moving inside. 

"Is your arm like that, too?" Will quickly unwrapped Felix's bandage. It wasn't, thank god. Jonathan went to grab a knife, gloves, and a spoon to bite on. El bit down on the spoon, and Jonathan cut her leg open. She screamed.

Robin told a story about how a girl's knee bone came out of the skin during soccer.

"Robin, this isn't helping!" Steve shouted.

"Sorry!" Robin chewed on her nails.

"Stop! Stop, I can do it..." Jonathan backed away. Eleven used her powers, and began removing the thing inside her leg. She screamed, but eventually got it out. She threw it across the mall. Suddenly, Hopper, Joyce, and some guy who they'd never seen before, appeared.

WORD COUNT: 1143